7 June 2011….The Philippines doesn’t get as much attention as other countries in Asia, partly because it’s not on the way to anywhere like Singapore or have the reputation for beach, culture and fun like Thailand.  But I recently had a week there for meetings and to attend a customer conference so Julie joined me to explore this place in more detail.  And the added bonus was that we had very good friends living in Manila which we hadn’t caught up with for ages.  What we learned was that the Philippines is seriously under-rated and has plenty to offer.

We started our week in Manila where I had meetings and Julie caught up with our great friend Caroline for a day of sightseeing and good old fashioned catching up.  Manila is definitely lacking sex appeal, especially compared to other capital cities in the region that have maintained their rich culture, architecture and history.  But Manila has a good excuse – it was totally flattened by the Americans at the end of World War II in an effort to drive the Japanese out.  Today it has over 11 million people in a city built almost entirely since the war and is the capital of a country with the per person GDP only a third of Thailand. 

The tricycle is standard transport in Boracay

But the Philippines has some characteristics that make it very unique in Asia.  First of all, they are about 90% Catholic, a product of the Spanish who ruled the joint for almost 400 years.  So lotsa churches and lotsa kids running around.  Second, everyone speaks English and most of the signs are in English.  This is thanks to the Americans who chaperoned them for most of the 20^th century. 

And maybe best of all, they have jeepneys.  The jeepney evolved from all the US Army jeeps that were left behind after the war.  The entrepreneurial Filipinos took the engine and driver’s compartment but then extended the back about four metres and added two plank benches and a roof.  This is now the overwhelmingly dominant form of transport around Manila.  For a few pesos you can hop in the open back door and enjoy the breeze as the driver fights through the nightmarish traffic.  Jeepneys are beautifully decorated, usually with religious themes, and make for a unique and colourful addition to Manila.

We flew an hour south to the resort island of Boracay where I attended a conference.  This is a stunning little island with long wrap-around beaches and only moderate development by international standards.  But it wasn’t easy to get to and we proved that.  The short flight on the twin prop plane landed at a tiny air strip on a larger island, then a little local styled tuk-tuk (called a tricycle) to the pier, then a boat to the island of Boracay, then another tricycle to our resort.  In the stinking heat, wearing business clothes and lugging suit cases that were subject to excess baggage fees.  That was fun.

But Boracay was worth it.  Before work duties Julie and I had a chance to explore the island a bit in one of these unique little tricycles.  These tricycles are just 50 cc motorbikes with a side car welded onto its side and supported by a third wheel (tricycle – get it?).  In the front you could fit one or maybe two people, then there’s a little tray on the back for another two people.  And there are thousands of these buggers, racing everywhere, carrying locals, tourists, bags of shopping, piles of building material, animals, boxes of produce, anything you can imagine.  The roads (well, the road) on the island was narrow and poorly maintained so really only suitable for these tricycles anyway.

We had a hoot of a day, first travelling to the north of the island and enjoying Puka Beach, truly one of the most beautiful and picturesque beaches we have ever seen.  We swam and explored the deserted beach for a long time.  Then it was on to Ilig-Iligan Beach which required a wild four wheel drive (or three wheeled drive?) trip on a rough track to a beautiful beach visited by day trippers on their boats.  Finally, we headed to Mt. Ludo View Deck, the highest point on the island, where we had an aerial view of this beautiful island, rimmed by sand, surrounded by aqua blue water, covered in palms, blasted by the hot sun.  That’s what I’m talking about!

The boats at Boracay are narrow outrigger canoes with those extended balancing floats on each side which were great fun to photograph, if not a little wobbly to ride in.  Most have stylish triangle sails which power them as they hug the shore line. We may have taken one or two photos of them.

Most of my evenings were committed to the conference and customers which in itself was great fun because they were from all over Asia, good friends together to learn from each other and enjoy this beautiful setting.  But Julie and I did get chances to enjoy the stunning sunset each night, visit a few bars and restaurants plus the odd shop or two.  And of course everywhere we went there was music because Filipinos love their music and they love to sing, play instruments and dance.  So we had great live music all up and down the beach. 

Julie also had more free time than me and hired a boat for a little sail along the shore (with her two crew) and enjoyed extra beach and swim time. 

But all good things must come to an end so back to the little outdoor airport on the other island via multiple forms of transport, then the short flight back to Manila to spend the weekend with John and Caroline.  We’ve known John and Caroline since around 1979 when we all lived in London and it’s been a great friendship over the years, highlighted by Julie being their beautiful daughter Amanda’s godmother.  They’ve lived in Manila for a few years now, each with booming businesses, and living the good life they enjoy and deserve. 

Changing islands to get to the airport

The Saturday we were there was super special.  After showing us some of the highlights of Manila (yes, there are some!) we headed inland to the town of Tagatay and the Taal Volcano.  This is seriously a world class attraction which is mainly just enjoyed by the locals.  We stood on the rim of this giant volcanic crater which is filled with a beautiful lake and multiple islands.  Actually, the Taal Volcano has many layers – it has a little island in a lake in a volcanic crater in a lake in a volcanic crater.  No kidding, like those little Russian dolls which all fit inside each other as they get smaller and smaller.  What a view!

But the highlight of the week was a dinner at beautiful Antonio’s Restaurant at the end of a narrow road nestled amongst the paddocks and palms.  The setting and food was stunning as we celebrated our friendship and a milestone birthday. 

The next day we tootled around the foothills of Manila, enjoying windy roads, private housing estates, views of the city below and visiting the church in the town of Antipolo with its 17^th century statue of the Virgin Mary that made no less than 8 trips back and forth across the ocean between Spain and Manila.  As you do.

So our verdict on the Philippines?  We definitely want to come back, maybe explore more of the WWII history and their beautiful beaches.  True, the Philippines don’t have all the glamour or the wow factor of other Asian destinations and they’ve still got issues with the relatively modest GDP and security problems in some parts of the country.  But they make up for this with fantastic people, a rich history, beautiful under-developed islands and very low cost living for all visitors.  Plus they’ve got jeepneys and they alone make it all worthwhile.